Meredith Ruggieri had a hard-knock life as a kid. That, however, propelled her to create a stable, loving home for her own children. That's why her Casselberry home became a gathering spot for her large clan during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. "Everybody came to her house for the holidays," said her daughter, Vicky Furtney of Casselberry. "It didn't matter how far away they were." Ruggieri, 87, died Tuesday of congestive heart failure. Born Oct. 9, 1922, in Connellsville, Pa., Ruggieri and her two sisters bounced from their parents' home in Pennsylvania to the homes of family members in Orlando.

Mr. and Mrs. Victor Ruggieri, Casselberry, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Oct. 9 with a family dinner at Olive Garden. They were married Oct. 5, 1943, in Baptist Parsonage, Connellsville, Pa. Their children are Janet Porterfield and Samuel, both of Orlando; Dennis, Cassleberry; and Vicki Furtner, Connellsville. They have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is a custodial worker at Epcot Center. She is retired from Orange County Schools Food Services Department.

An Orlando business broker recently went far afield on a deal -- more than 10,000 miles, actually. John Ruggieri sold a 50,000-acre cattle ranch and conservation preserve in Kenya. Ruggieri was the owner of the property, having bought it in 1992. The ranch/preserve sold for several million, though the buyer didn't want the price disclosed, Ruggieri said. The buyer was Jochen Zeitz, chairman and chief executive officer of PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport, the well-known German sporting goods and apparel company.

MISS RUGGIERI, 8980 N. 49th St., Pinellas Park, died Sunday, Jan. 16, of natural causes. She was a retired sales clerk. Born in Bristol, R.I., she moved to Pinellas Park from Lake County several years ago. She was a Protestant. Survivor: nephew, Mark A., St. Petersburg. Harden-Paul Funeral Home, Eustis.

Richard Ruggieri's arms and hands were starting to cramp, and his back ached. This, after two hours of battling a tarpon. What he didn't know, however, was that the big fish was good for another 2 1/2 hours.He hooked the big ''Silver King'' just before noon on a foot-long live mullet which the tarpon gobbled like a small minnow.Hank Morgan of Winter Park had to gun the engine numerous times to keep the tarpon from stripping off all the 30-pound test line from Ruggieri's 4/0 Penn fishing reel.

DAVIE -- As otter existences go, Fast Eddie is making history. He does something few river otters do in captivity: He breeds well. Exceedingly well. In hardly more than a year, Fast Eddie, raised by humans and unable to fend in the wild, has fathered eight otters by three mates, said Mike Ruggieri, director of wildlife at Flamingo Gardens in Davie. Such potency is rare among captive members of the mammal species lutra canadensis. "River otters are one of the most difficult animals to breed in captivity," Ruggieri said.

DAVIE -- As otter existences go, Fast Eddie is making history. He does something few river otters do in captivity: He breeds well. Exceedingly well. In hardly more than a year, Fast Eddie, raised by humans and unable to fend in the wild, has fathered eight otters by three mates, said Mike Ruggieri, director of wildlife at Flamingo Gardens in Davie. Such potency is rare among captive members of the mammal species lutra canadensis. "River otters are one of the most difficult animals to breed in captivity," Ruggieri said.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Brandon James Maxfield was 7 years old in 1994 and playing at his home in northern California when a gunshot from a .38-caliber handgun he says was poorly designed paralyzed him for life. Ever since, Brandon has waged a legal crusade against Bryco Arms and founder Bruce Jennings, the gun's designer who now lives in a million-dollar home near Daytona Beach and declared bankruptcy after a California jury ordered Jennings and his companies to pay Brandon $24 million. Brandon, now 17, has not yet collected any of that money, but he has taken his fight to a federal bankruptcy court in Jacksonville where he is trying to buy Bryco's assets in order to destroy its remaining guns and close the factory doors forever.

Great article on a major in Florida. Here's an idea: why can't the USGA pay back the man (Arnie) who has done so much to make them what they are today by staging a U.S. Open at Bay Hill? That's the best weather we're going to have during the summer. Any later (PGA Championship) and storms are a virtual certainty. Arnie says in your article (Steve Elling, A Central Florida U.S. Open? Not in this lifetime) it won't happen in his lifetime. The USGA should do something to make it happen. It's a disgrace if they don't.

Located on Lake Louise, the 20,000-square-foot home of John Ruggieri and Janice Gleason can easily be seen driving north on Chase Road through Isleworth. The two lots are valued at $600,000, and the entire estate carries a value of about $2 million.The Renaissance-style English manor house is known for its two-story, walnut-paneled library. Winter Park designer Sam Ewing and Architectural Artworks of Winter Park designed the interiors.In the center of the library is a fireplace with carved wooden figures holding the mantel on their shoulders.

Anyone who attended Cecilia Bartoli's recital at Carr Performing Arts Centre last weekend won't soon forget it.Even if her voice, virtuosity and expressive face didn't leave an indelible impression, the sheer frenzy she set loose in the audience must have. Who can remember hearing an Orlando crowd yell and whistle the way this one did?Bartoli was a hit. But that wasn't the only reason the people at the Orlando Opera Company - the sponsor of Bartoli's concert - came out of the experience happy.

Great article on a major in Florida. Here's an idea: why can't the USGA pay back the man (Arnie) who has done so much to make them what they are today by staging a U.S. Open at Bay Hill? That's the best weather we're going to have during the summer. Any later (PGA Championship) and storms are a virtual certainty. Arnie says in your article (Steve Elling, A Central Florida U.S. Open? Not in this lifetime) it won't happen in his lifetime. The USGA should do something to make it happen. It's a disgrace if they don't.

Several prospective buyers have expressed interest in the massive tracts in Poinciana south of Orlando that once were proposed for a new city by developer William J. Levitt, a representative of a Maryland liquidation company said Tuesday.David Ruggieri, a consultant with FCI Financial Conservators Inc. of Baltimore, said negotiations are under way on several offers regarding 7,000 acres in three large parcels in Poinciana, a large planned-unit development south of Kissimmee. Part of the land is in Osceola County and part is in Polk County.

MISS RUGGIERI, 8980 N. 49th St., Pinellas Park, died Sunday, Jan. 16, of natural causes. She was a retired sales clerk. Born in Bristol, R.I., she moved to Pinellas Park from Lake County several years ago. She was a Protestant. Survivor: nephew, Mark A., St. Petersburg. Harden-Paul Funeral Home, Eustis.

Mr. and Mrs. Victor Ruggieri, Casselberry, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Oct. 9 with a family dinner at Olive Garden. They were married Oct. 5, 1943, in Baptist Parsonage, Connellsville, Pa. Their children are Janet Porterfield and Samuel, both of Orlando; Dennis, Cassleberry; and Vicki Furtner, Connellsville. They have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He is a custodial worker at Epcot Center. She is retired from Orange County Schools Food Services Department.